This is me. Married mum to two small, boisterous boys, writing about family life, general life and parenting issues. When I'm not writing, I can be found tearing my hair out in a corner somewhere.

Being intolerant to cow’s milk, you kind of miss things like yoghurts, and big hunks of cheese on bread.

Yes, there’s soya yoghurts and what have you, and whilst they are great in their own way, they’re no substitute for a nice, creamy texture.

Which is why when I got the chance to review some goats milk products from St Helen’s Farm I was more than willing to give it a try.

Goats milk is apparently easier to digest than cows milk for some people, so can be a better alternative to cows milk for some people who are intolerant. (You can read more about that on the website.)

A lovely hamper of different goats milk products arrived to try, including goats milk, butter, cheeses, and yoghurts.

With two fussy children, and as a mum always on the lookout for a healthy variety of foods to feed them, I was keen to see what they thought of goats milk as well as they had never tried it before.

Would they be able to tell the difference?!

The happy answer was no, they couldn’t and they especially loved the yoghurts. The raspberry and elderflower flavour and Sicilian lemon ones were the outright favourites, they both liked them.

To get them both liking the same thing at the same time is an achievement in itself lately!

The 8 year old enjoyed the goats milk on his cereal, and said he really couldn’t tell the difference between his usual cows milk that he has on there.

Result!

My personal favourite had to be the cheese. The children weren’t so keen, as it was quite a strong taste compared to what they’re used to – I suppose if your favourite is mild cheddar it could be thought of as a bit strong.

Me, on the other hand adore all kinds of cheese and textures, and it’s the one thing I miss most about not being able to have milk.

The mature goats cheese was gorgeous, a kind of nutty taste and crumbly texture.

I’ll definitely be getting more goats milk products in future, especially as it’s something me, the Dad, AND both kids like and can eat all at the same time!

I received a hamper of goats milk products in order to do this review. All thoughts, words and opinions completely true and my own.

Why the hell not? If they’re being little shites, then they need to be pulled up on it. How else are they going to learn?!

Likewise when they’re achieving, and doing well. Shouldn’t they be told so that they’re proud of what they’ve been doing?

Not much of an incentive to behave if they don’t get recognised for it anyway.

I take umbrage with this, too. “Discipline is not the only unusual policy at the school. In 2012 it broke with the tradition of having playtime and lunch at fixed times. Instead the pupils and staff decide among themselves when to take a break. And in some weeks pupils are given hot chocolate and bacon butties for breakfast as part of Mrs Tomlinson’s drive to create a ‘comfortable’ environment.”

Who’s running the show? The teachers or the pupils?! Balls to whether they want their break time earlier or not, or fancy a bacon butty. They’re there to LEARN.

There’s no wonder there’s such terrible incidents hitting the mainstream media lately about teachers being attacked if there’s crap like this going on.

No boundaries, no sense of consequence. No wonder they feel like they can do what the hell they like.

Children NEED safe, secure boundaries and to know right from wrong. Not be shielded from any consequences to actions and to go through life doing whatever the chuff they like as they’ve never know any different.

Barbados. I ask you. Nothing wrong with Barbados, I’d love to go there – but since when did school trips start to go halfway across the world and cost more than a family holiday?!

Trip of a lifetime, that. Not a school jaunt.

Ours can go to Australia in one of the years. Literally the other side of the world. On what planet is that a reasonable school trip?! I dread to think how much that would cost.

They’re busy fundraising for it right now. Tip – if the place you want to go to costs so bloody much that you have to fundraise for it, maybe you’re going a tad too far. Back up a bit and have a think.

Flying high school kids nearly 11,000 miles is a little bit very excessive.

Maybe they need more parents to stand up and say “hang on, do you think we go into the garden and pluck money off the money tree, or produce it from our arse?!”

Maybe then we might get a semblance of normality in all the craziness.

What do you think? Excessive, or fun?

Let us know via the comments and tell us where the furthest place your school goes for school trips!

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Summer’s getting nearer, and as a result our thoughts are turning to places to visit with the children on a summer holiday.

Holidays here are usually UK campsite type ones with entertainment on tap (we personally love a bit of Haven. Can’t beat a bit of Rory the Tiger to entertain you!)

These come with huge static caravans with their own bedrooms, bathrooms etc.

For some unfathomable reason though, the Dad’s thoughts have started to turn towards the idea of camping.

With a tent. Between the four of us. Would they settle down? Would they chuff.

A separate tent just for them? Even worse.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of camping.

I have many a fun memory of Guides camping trips where we all sang “Ging Gang Goolie” round the campfire, and “Oh you’ll never get to heaven in a baked bean tin, as a baked bean tin’s got baked beans in….”

(I’m mindfully ignoring the fact I got splattered with pee once having to cart the portable toilet across the field to be emptied. How to traumatise an 8 year old. I’ll keep my rose tinted specs on and forget that bit.)

I also remember sniggering and running across to other tents in the middle of the night and pulling out tent pegs just for the laugh of it with some others.

Then running back to the tent, diving into the sleeping bags and sending up fake pretend snores and waiting for the shouts when it twigged what we’d done.

Oh, the japes.

Which is why it pains me to think that camping with our two would be a ballache.

We may harbour thoughts of singing songs round a campfire, toasting marshmallows in the embers and waking up refreshed to the sounds of birdsong.

When the harsh reality is the fact that they’re related to ME and might turn out to be little camping s***s who run feral at night time, and we’re so deranged from lack of sleep we want to shoot the blasted birds for daring to sing and wake us up when we’ve only just nodded off.

Do you camp? Do yours behave and I’m worrying unnecessarily?! Or would yours be likely to run amok too….

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When I first started blogging, it was just as an outlet for the thing I love doing most in the whole world – writing!

I didn’t think anyone would ever read my spoutings. I knew my mum would. Although I thought she’d be my only reader.

To be honest, I didn’t mind, as at the time of starting the blog, it was just somewhere to write.

People actually READING it were seen as an actual bonus. :-)

Which is why I’m a bit shell shocked at being nominated in both Blog of The Year Category and Best Writer category.

It’s nice to know my witterings are getting an audience.

I couldn’t have dreamt that 5 years later, I’d still be blogging, and actually getting opportunities, a whole blogging community, and social media followers out of it.

If you’ve ever read my blog, and anything’s ever resonated with you or touched a chord (or even if it hasn’t, heck, do it anyway) I’d love a vote in the Best Writer or Blog of The Year category (or both please shameless )

There’s a badge thataway entitled Mads Blog Nominate Me……….> at the right hand side of the blog.

If you could click on it and nominate me I’d be eternally grateful.

I can send virtual cake and wine.

Thank you! :-) (Especially if you’ve read this far and not fallen asleep. Stop snoring at the back.)

However, after saying that, if a small, toddling child is so frighteningly overweight that they’re deemed needing to attempt a kiddy fat camp, surely it’s the parents who need to attend classes seeing as they’re the one feeding and exercising them?!

It’s a pretty sad state of affairs if the NHS feels the need to set up million pounds initiatives to encourage toddlers to play with balls and balloons.

Parents should be doing that anyway, there shouldn’t be a need for an intervention.

Every parent knows that exercise is good for children, surely. If they weren’t bothered before to go out to parks, play football, etc, are they suddenly going to start because they’ve been told to?!

Exercise costs nothing and kids like nothing better than to run around if given half the chance.

As for getting the parents to read food labels, if you’re going to educate them, why stop there?! Give them cooking lessons as well and teach them how to cook from scratch with wholesome ingredients.

Teach them to say no to requests for endless snacks, unless it’s healthy ones. Unlimited access to the fruit bowl, and offer breadsticks, crudites, rice cakes if they need a snack.

Restrict chocolate to a once a week treat instead of everyday occurrences.

Toddlers shouldn’t be sent to boot camp. If anyone should be, it’s the parents of the extremely overweight children.